Woodland Mist Academy
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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy
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Although I remember summer scenes of Mrs. Muir swimming on the beach, there were scenes from every season. I'm most drawn to autumn and winter because of the foggy nights and cold winter breezes and her wrapping up in a shawl on the balcony.
Very helpful! Thank you! I'll add it to both the autumn and winter lists.
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Currently reading The Ghost and Mrs. Muir thanks to Kareni, I believe, and I'm enjoying that and now want to see the movie.
This was a favorite movie of a beloved aunt. I didn't realize there was a book. I need to add it to my list and read it before I watch the movie. Is there a dominant season in the book? Hmm...haunted seaside village... Trying to decide if it would be best to read in summer or autumn... Or maybe I'm off completely and it takes place in winter or spring... Thoughts?
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I believe that much of the foundation for doing well on the ACT/SAT is laid in K-8. Here are some things that I believe were helpful here:
Making sure that arithmetic, Algebra I, and geometry were rock solid.
Reading aloud with a focus on books containing complex language and elevated vocabulary. This included classics and also nonfiction written for educated adults. Assigning/encouraging these sorts of books as soon as they were ready to read them themselves.
Speaking standard English in the home.
Discussing the reasons for the edits I made to their writing and having the vocabulary myself to express the reasons.
Having them take a standardized test each year starting when they can read well enough to take one (for my kids this was grade 3 and K).
These are many of the things that come to my mind too.
The right mix of nature/nurture will be different for every student.
We did a brief, shallow nod to Latin and decided it wasn't worth the time. No regrets for dropping it. (Well, no more than the wistful regret I have wishing we could do everything.)
Other students have found Latin to be a huge help on tests and in life in general.
For some students testing every year would be a bad idea.
For other students it's a chance to develop coping mechanisms for stress. Yearly testing might even begin to dull test anxiety because of repeated exposure.
There is no one right formula. There is no path that guarantees every student will obtain a high score. Nature will always have a say.
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Here's how I see out BaW thread - All of us ladies sitting around in our silks and velvet dresses politely discussing topics of interest and drinking tea. Gloves, hats, and corsets are a must. It would be impolite to gossip about his majesty, King George, in public so we only do that in our private conversations with friends. We also try to marry our children off to each others children to strengthen our social standing.
Will there be those little cake things with pink sugar icing?
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I work on planning in spurts when I get in the mood and then put it away until the mood strikes again.
This is what I do as well.
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No experience with Mandarin, but we had mixed experiences with CTY. At that price, excellence should be a given. Unfortunately it's not. It all boils down to the teacher. If you get a good recommendation for a provider, be sure to get the teacher's name as well.
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Thanks! I'll put it on my list for this summer.
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I just make tentative plans and backup plans. Last year I had everything perfectly organized based on the current year's class schedules. Then schedules were released and every school we were using changed the classes offered and/or meeting times, so I had to start over. Unfortunately everything wasn't as neat and tidy after the changes...
It's good to be somewhat prepared because some classes fill quickly, but it's difficult when the providers announce schedules at varying times.
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Does anyone remember the seasonal setting And Then There Were None? I try to read books by season, which is why I read Hallowe'en Party when I did. That's also why I waited until summer to read The Elementals, instead of reading it last October.
I tried to flip through the book and Google, but I kept seeing potential spoilers, so I thought I'd ask here.
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double post in my Agatha Christie excitement...
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Thanks! As fate would have it, I actually have And Then There Were None on my shelves. I picked it up at a library book sale years ago, but never read it. Given that it's been mentioned at least a couple times on this thread (and because it was written in the 1930s), I think I might try it next.
I'll make note of the others mentioned in the thread in case I need to give AC a third chance or in case I am her newest fan.
Thanks again!
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:seeya: Here!
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but I'm not sure as my count might be off after abandoning Rebecca.
:svengo:
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We are a group with several Christie fans so you may find many opinions!
Hallowe'en Party is not one of her better books. The good news is if you liked it well enough to be interested in reading more you are going to love many of the earlier books. As a general guide her books set in the 60's are generally the worst.
I took a quick look at Hallowe'en Party over on Goodreads before responding and noticed that the Poirot series page had what I suspect is good advice in terms of which books really do need to be read in an order. https://www.goodreads.com/series/51138-hercule-poirot.
I read her books in no particular order and enjoyed most immensely. She is an author I only discovered after we moved to England ten years ago and had an urge to immerse myself in books by British author's. That urge was combined with the fact that book covers were all different there and I was hopeless at bringing books home from the library that I hadn't already read. I turned to Christie and Sayers in self defense! ;)
While investigating our area in order to find a permanent home we stopped and checked books out in all 30 or so library branches our borough had at that time. No reserves I simply checked out whatever was new as we visited. I don't remember ever being overly disappointed and I have probably read 90% of her work. I do prefer Marple to Poirot generally. I also have a fondness for her other series that isn't shared by many. I really like Tommy and Tuppence but that may be because my dd at 12 did too!
A couple of my favorites are The Murder of Roger Ackroyd https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16328.The_Murder_of_Roger_Ackroyd and 4:50 from Paddington https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140278.4. I am looking forward to hearing what you think of her books!
I say this as a big AC fan ... the quality of her work varies greatly. Some of them are classics and fantastic. Others are just okay. I've gotten to the point where I refuse to read anything she has wrote after the early 1950's because it all kind of sounds like *you dirty hippies with your long hair and loose morals ... in my day you could get a housemaid that knew what she was doing." It's a bit sad to me actually.
I see Hallowe'en Party was published in the 1960's. That would have been a no go for me. Try her 1930's books. Much much better. One of my favorites is Death on the Nile.
Thank you both! This is quite a relief. While reading the book I often wondered why on earth she is one of the most beloved authors of all times. It wasn't terrible, so I'm willing to try another one. Thanks so much for the insights!
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I finished Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. It was my first Agatha Christie. :leaving:
Does anyone have thoughts on how it compares to her other books? Are they best read in order or groupings of certain characters?
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Spooky October seems to be continuing as I read through what I have already checked out on Overdrive.
I vote for Spooky October year 'round. ;)
We can safely make it through Christmas at least. That was traditional ghost story telling time...
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We basically did BFSU this way, using the book recs at the end of each chapter. We'd read the book, try the demonstrations, go for nature walks.
It was great for this pathetic-science-background mother!
Which is a valid point. Mothers are born persons too. ;)
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. BFSU might not be ideal in general, but it might be pretty darn close to ideal in some homes.
Although it's obviously not my first (or second or third ;) ) choice, if BFSU is what it takes for the mother to feel like she can properly engage and model excitement for learning, so be it. Whatever it takes.
(For the record, I still don't like the recommendation as a first choice. ;) )
LMD, so glad you found something that worked for your family. Thanks for adding your perspective.
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A Charlotte Mason resource people might not be aware of is Kfamily's A Mind in the Light. Such a lovely blend of CM philosophy and details! Well done in so many ways...
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I reached out to the UM people through their contact form on their blog - because now I was very curious after this discussion, whether BFSU would be the focus or if they would also offer natural history/nature study recommendations. I asked, and this was their reply (and I'm sharing here with their permission).
"Yes, that is definitely part of our goal. We love BFSU, but we aren't scheduling anything pre-Year 1 and we want Year 1-3 to be a very slow almost supplemental use of BFSU where nature study and natural history really shine. One of the things that drew us to Charlotte Mason is the idea of inculcating wonder and joy in the natural world in our kids. "
I hope the idea of "inculcating wonder and joy in the natural world in our kids" becomes more evident as they further develop the educational plan and website. Thus far, it doesn't have that feel.
(On a side note: I'm not sure *inculcating* is a word I would connect with wonder and joy....)
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Short lessons, yes. Experiential/hands-on/observational, and also systematic learning through good, modern living books. But also - it's very tricky to follow a science curric and 'stay out of the way of the child's learning' and not over-teach to the child.
So maybe using it more as a parental resource? That makes more sense to me. Always good to have various tools in the toolbox and a variety of books on the shelves.
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I think evaluating a new program does several things beyond helping us decide whether or not it's a good it for our family. Sometimes in learning about other approaches, we are given a chance to see our own approach in a new light. Also, hearing other people's thoughts about a program can help us make an informed decision. Further, sometimes the best way to make a decision about a program is to try to find all the faults, in addition to finding all the strengths.
I say this in case anyone thinks we are being overly critical. Thinking critically and skeptically is something I hope a solid, secular, Charlotte Mason-inspired education would promote. Science is built on trying to prove itself wrong.
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- taking BFSU and chopping it up to be more CM-friendly.
Do you mean making short lessons? Does that make it more CM?
(ETA: CM is so much more than short lessons, thus the question. I was trying to determine how chopping it up makes it more CM.)
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realizing that clutter in the schedule prevents doing important things.
:001_wub:
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I've always seen CM as having two sides -- the principles and the details.
I have always focused more on the principles. This program seems to be more focused on the details.
What adult publications (magazines, newspapers) do your kids enjoy?
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
The Economist and The Week